Marketplace for Monday, August 17, 2008

Nebraska has one of the nation's lowest unemployment rates at 5%. But numbers that may look good on paper don't always translate well in real life -- especially in real rural life. Sarah McCammon reports.

Last month's unemployment figures contained a ray of hope for recent college grads: their jobless rate of 4.7% was half of what people with only high school degrees experienced. Still, that's small comfort to commentator and new graduate Sarah Klenakis.

President Obama is hoping to squeeze big-time savings out of the health-care industry, which brings in $700 billion a year. That may sound great, unless you happen to work for a health insurance company. Joel Rose reports.

Five more bank failures were announced over the weekend, bringing this year's total to 77. And a Texas bank may be next. Marketplace's Senior Business Correspondent Bob Moon reports on why bank failures are rising at this point in the financial crisis.

The Obama administration is hinting it could drop its proposal for a government-run health plan that would compete with private insurers and force down the cost of premiums. But if that plan goes, is meaningful reform possible? Tamara Keith reports.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is suing brokerage giant Charles Schwab, accusing the company of fraud and misleading investors when it sold them auction rate securities that blew up at the beginning of the financial crisis. Jill Barshay reports.